Digital Victorian Periodical Poetry

Full-page illustration is divided into multiple sections. The hand-drawn poem title, “Whittington’s Advancement”, is positioned at the top of the page. “Whittington’s” is placed horizontally. The decorated initial letter “W” appears within an irregular shape. It begins as an approximately square shape and is filled with stylized feathers. Buds and flowers descend from the lower-left corner of the shape. A large feathered wing extends across the page from the lower-right corner of the shape. The letters “g”, “t”, “o”, and “n” from the end of “Whittington’s” are placed above the back of a throne, which ascends from the central section of the illustration. These letters are positioned slightly higher than the others. The final “s” is placed atop a decorated circle above the other letters. The title’s second word, “Advancement”, is placed vertically down the right edge of the page. The decorated initial letter “A” is placed within a single-ruled square border and is filled with a pattern of squares and circles. The central section of the illustration is contained within a single-ruled square border and is positioned below the title’s first word. In this section, a man sits on an ornately decorated throne; he wears a gown and turban. The tall back of the throne is decorated with a vegetal and foliate pattern. A cat sits on a cushion on the left arm of the throne. A child lifts a bowl up to the man from his right side. The man takes an object from the bowl. Two more men sit on the floor beside the throne. The man on the left holds a string instrument and the man on the right holds a shield. The bottom section of the illustration is contained within a single-ruled rectangular border with curved corners. In this section, a bowl lies on the ground on its side with food spilling out of it. Mice or rats run across the floor and a cat crushes two of them under its paws. A double-ruled border extends across the left and bottom edges of the illustration.

Full-page illustration is divided into multiple sections. At the top, a man herds a gaggle of geese. He carries a large branch with leaves on its tip and wears a loose cloth draped around his body. There are rocks and plants scattered across the ground. A tree canopy extends over his head. Below this portion of the illustration, there is a crest. The crest looks like it is composed of stained glass. It shows a castle and a label with the word “LONDON” set against a pattern of circles, squares, and bells. There is a smaller crest set into the top-left corner of this crest. The inset crest features bells, mice, and a cat. An angel stands on either side of the large crest. The angel on the right holds the decorated initial letter “h” from the first word of the poem, “here”. The angel on the left holds a bell. There is a pile of large bells under the crest, some of which spill out towards the lower-right corner of the illustration. A section of the hand-drawn poem text is placed above the bells. Some of the letters are placed within decorated square borders.

Full-page illustration is divided into multiple sections. At the top, a man sits against the trunk of a tree and holds a plant in his hand. The trunk is carved with multiple letters and hearts. There is a stone behind the man’s back, which is decorated with the phrase “TO LONDON TOWN”. Bells are superimposed over the tree in the top-right corner. The bells are set against a grid pattern featuring crossed circles and additional bells. Beside the tree, a fence stretches across the background. There are more trees beyond the fence. A horizontal wooden plank lies over a small stream in front of the man. A section of the hand-drawn poem text is placed below the man. It begins with a decorated initial letter “H” from the word “His”. Some of the other letters and punctuation in this section are decorated. Flowers fall down the left side of the poem and extend across the bottom, forming a partial border around the poem text.

Full-page illustration is divided into multiple sections. At the left, multiple men and women stand on a dock. Large ships are moored in the background. A young man at the center of the scene holds a cat to his chest. A caption next to his head reads “WHITTINGTON” and a caption above the cat reads “HIS CAT”. An old man sits on the dock with his legs dangling off the side. He looks over his shoulder toward the first man. In the background, a group of figures gathers in front of the ships. Behind this group of figures, a man in a building looks through a small window. This section of the illustration is contained within a rectangular border. A pattern of six seashells runs along the lower-left edge. A section of the hand-drawn poem text is placed to the right of this scene. It begins with a decorated initial letter “E” from the word “Evermore”; the border that contains the letter also contains a peacock. Some other letters and punctuation in this section are decorated. Below the dockyard scene and the hand-drawn poem text, a ship sails on waves. A caption that reads “THE SHIP” is superimposed over the ship’s bow. A sea creature emerges from the waves and faces the ship with its mouth wide open. There are smaller fish around the creature. Shells are scattered throughout this scene.

Full-page illustration is divided into multiple sections. At the right, a man sits on a throne. The throne is placed on top of a raised platform with steps leading up to it. The platform is shaded by an awning, which is decorated with peacock feathers and statues of peacocks. A figure kneels next to the throne and holds a bowl up to the man. Mice surround the platform and look up at the man. Most of the mice gather at the steps. but some of the mice also run up one of the awning’s poles. Several mice run down below the structure and past a vase, which lies overturned in the lower-left corner of the illustration. A section of the hand-drawn poem text is placed to the left of this scene. It begins with a decorated initial letter “M” from the word “Meat”. Some other letters and punctuation in this section are decorated. Mice gather in the top-left corner of the poem text, and four mice fall down the left side. The mice form a partial border around the poem text.